Greco, Phillips Win Re-election to School Board

Whitefish Bay School Board members Marie Greco and Jim Phillips will keep their seats after surviving a close challenge from attorney Anne Berleman Kearney.

Greco and Phillips have both served on the board for six years, and with Tuesday’s election, were elected to a third three-year term. Greco, the board president, received 39 percent of the votes, Phillips received 32 percent and Kearney 29 percent.

Greco is co-owner and vice president of Lexicom Corporate Services. Phillips is a shareholder with the law firm of Godfrey & Kahn, S.C. Kearney is a principal with Appellate Consulting Group and practices civil litigation. She also is an adjunct professor at Marquette University Law School and is vice president of the Rosalie Manor board of directors.

Phillips said Whitefish Bay is fortunate that three qualified candidates stepped up to run for the position.

As for the road ahead, Phillips said the district is well-positioned to deal with the state budget crunch, but he said it will not be easy.

“It’s going to be turbulent skies over the next couple years as the state determines how it’s going to balance the budget,” he said. “Fortunately, we’re one of the best-positioned districts in the state in order to deal with it. It will take a lot of hard work and input from a variety of sources.”

Pam Woodard was elected to a one-year term on the school board in an uncontested race. After years of prior experience on the board, she was appointed in 2009 to serve the remaining two years of a three-year term after former board member Joe Martinelli resigned.

Sixty-three percent of Whitefish Bay voters turned out for the spring non-partisan elections, which usually attract a turnout closer to 20 percent. In addition to the local races, the state Supreme Court race between Justice David Prosser and JoAnne Kloppenburg drew in a large swath of voters, as did the Milwaukee County Executive race between State Rep. Jeff Stone (R-Greendale) and philanthropist Chris Abele.

In the Milwaukee County executive race, Whitefish Bay favored Stone, who lost handily in the overall race.

In the Wisconsin Supreme Court race, the village favored Justice David Prosser for another term, but statewide results were too close to call late Tuesday night.

Current Village Trustee Julie Siegel was elected Village President in an uncontested race, with 3,318 votes.

The Board of Canvassers will meet Wednesday to tally the write-in votes for the Village Board race. Four write-in candidates are vying for two vacant seats on the board, after Siegel is ascending to the president's seat and Trustee Thomas Fehring has decided not to seek another term.

Municipal Judge Paul Christensen was elected to another term in an uncontested race.